


Of Friends And Favours

by MaliceManaged



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fake Marriage, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Pre-Thor (2011)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-05-31 16:32:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6477691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Desperate times lead Brynja to Loki with a desperate measure to avoid an arranged marriage. But what consequences will it have on their friendship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

    Brynja was on a mission. She strode through the streets of Asgard towards the palace with clear purpose, and most people made way for her; not out of fear of _her_ , but it was well known she was a close friend of both of the realm’s princes, and none wished to risk offending either.

 

    As the taller-than-average brunette passed through the gates she immediately began to head to the library, intent on finding the younger of the brothers. She was halfway there when her green eyes noticed his familiar form heading in the same direction, a few books tucked under his arm, and changed course.

 

    “Loki!” She called as she approached him. Loki looked over to her and smiled. When she reached him she placed her hands on his shoulders. “Marry me,” She said urgently.

 

    Loki blinked at her in surprise then burst out laughing. “No!” He replied, thinking it a joke.

 

    “Oh, come on! I covered for you after your little stunt at the market last month; you owe me a favour!”

 

    “Marriage is not ‘a favour’, Bryn,” Loki scoffed.

 

    “Please!” She cried, shaking his shoulders slightly, “Do I have to beg you? Because I will.”

 

    Loki eyed her bemusedly. “Why are you so desperate to marry me?”

 

    “I _don’t_ want to marry you; I just don’t want to marry Hadvar,” Brynja replied, lowering her hands back down to her sides.

 

    “...You do realise you can say ‘no’ when proposed to, do you not?” Loki asked slowly.

 

    “Not when they ask your father behind your back,” Brynja replied bitterly.

 

    “Ah. And your first choice to get out of that is me, is it? Or did Thor turn you down?” Loki asked coolly, an odd surge of jealousy flashing through him.

 

    “Actually, Thor was my second choice,” Brynja replied casually.

 

    That gave Loki pause and he looked at his friend more closely, noting the determination in her eyes. “You’re serious,” He concluded.

 

    “Very,” Brynja confirmed, “If I have to be stuck in marriage; it might as well be to someone I don’t hate.”

 

    “There must be another way. Perhaps we could speak to your father.”

 

    Brynja scoffed. “What good would _that_ do? He was awfully quick to want to cart me off to the first man who asked without so much as giving me _warning;_ clearly he doesn’t value my input,” She replied angrily.

 

    “Fair point,” Loki conceded with a sigh. He thought for a moment. “Very well then. This solution could serve to benefit us both in any case; it would cause mother and father to cease pestering me to find a wife,” He reasoned, “Let Thor be their sole target.”

 

    “It would serve him well,” Brynja said with a very un-ladylike snort.

 

****

 

    The news spread across the realms like wildfire: Brynja, only child of Lord Gunnar Bjornson and Lady Astrid Ralofsdottir, was to marry the younger Odinson. There was a fair bit of surprise, as many thought Thor would have been the better choice, but most people had already expected she would end up marrying _one_ of them regardless. Thor was shocked at first and a little betrayed that his brother and his dear friend had kept their relationship from him, until they explained the real reason they were getting married. He didn’t necessarily agree with their solution, worrying that it might put a strain on their friendship someday, but swore he’d keep their secret, especially from either of their parents.

 

    As for their parents, the reactions were quite varied. Both Queen Frigga and Lady Astrid were positively ecstatic; they were dear friends and often spoke of trying to marry their children once it became apparent how fond they were of each other. Odin had been surprised, having long since expected they would have to find a wife for both their sons, who showed no inclination to even consider settling down on their own when they reached the age to do so. Lord Gunnar was annoyed that his daughter had gone behind his back after he’d already begun to arrange her union to another noble’s son, but given that her choice was a prince (even if it wasn’t the future king) he didn’t complain overmuch.

 

    The wedding was held within a month, and not a day too soon for either participant; they hadn’t quite thought about all the work and preparation involved in a royal wedding. Brynja in particular was downright sick of all the lessons on how to properly conduct herself as a princess, most of which she intended to ignore as much as she could get away with anyway.

 

    When the time came after they had exchanged their rings and sworn their vows, Loki leaned forward and kissed her just convincingly enough so that none could tell that he was kissing his best friend and not a maiden he was in love with. Once they left the feast and retired to Loki’s chambers Brynja collapsed face first onto the bed still in her dress and let out a long, tired sigh, happy to be off her feet at last.

 

    As Loki began removing pieces of his armour he decided to tease his new ‘wife’. “Are you not a tad overdressed, my dear?”

 

    Brynja lifted her head enough to glare at him. “Very funny,” She replied unamusedly.

 

    Loki laughed and continued undressing until he was just wearing his undershirt and pants. He walked over to sit on the other side of the bed, removed his boots, and then lay back, resting his head on her back. “You do realise eventually they’ll expect children, don’t you?” He asked softly.

 

    “I know. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Brynja replied. She shifted so that she was lying on her back with his head on her stomach. “It is not as though they’ll expect them soon; we’re hardly known for our adherence to the norm.”

 

    Loki chuckled. “No; I suppose not. But could you, though; lie with me?”

 

    “Could _you?”_

 

    “Yes,” Loki replied without hesitation.

 

    “Is that a fact?” Brynja asked, sitting up and looking down at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

    Loki stared right back from his new spot on her lap. “Well; I don’t exactly have very high standards for bedmates,” He replied jokingly.

 

    Brynja scoffed, shoved him away and stood, stalking to the bathchamber as he laughed. Once the door was shut she began to undress, using the seidr-wielding her mother had taught her to help with the lacing at the back. She walked over to the full tub and got in, closing her eyes and sighing in pleasure as the warm water began to soothe her muscles.

 

    After some minutes she heard the door open and shut then a bit later felt the water ripple as Loki got into the tub across from her. Loki smiled slightly at his friend’s obvious contentment then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. They enjoyed the companionable silence for some minutes before a thought came to Loki that he couldn’t believe they hadn’t discussed before and he opened his eyes to look at Brynja.

 

    “What exactly happens if one of us ever falls in love with someone?”

 

    “We would either have to be very discreet, or find a good enough reason to give the Allfather for an annulment,” Brynja replied simply, having evidently thought of that possibility before.

 

    “But if it is me, that would ruin you,” Loki said concernedly, “Being divorced out of the royal family would all but destroy your prospects.”

 

    “Would you set a friend aside so easily?” Brynja asked with a laugh, opening her eyes and returning his gaze.

 

    “Of course not,” Loki replied, mildly offended.

 

    “Then I am not worried,” Brynja said with a shrug. “I never wanted to get married, Loki. As long as I have you, Thor, and our mothers in my life; I’ll be perfectly happy.” She reached forward and took one of his hands in hers then smiled at him. “And as for my reputation; any man who truly loves and deserves me will not care about that once they learn why we did this.”

 

    “I’ve no doubt that someone will love you; deserve you is another matter entirely,” Loki said, giving her hand a light squeeze.

 

    “Will there ever be anyone we’ll consider to be good enough for the other?” Brynja asked amusedly.

 

    Loki breathed a laugh. “Probably not.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behold; some prime examples of maturity...

    Brynja awoke with a shriek after being doused with icy water, her resulting scramble to avoid any more causing her to fall off the bed and land on the floor painfully with a grunt and a particularly profane exclamation. Loki stood by the door, leaning against the wall for support as he nearly doubled over in laughter.

 

    As Brynja stood she sent a seething glare in his direction. “I will _murder_ you, Odinson,” She warned lowly through gritted teeth.

 

    Loki managed to calm his laughter and grinned widely at her. “No, you won’t,” He said confidently, “Because then you’d be stuck dealing with Thor on your own.”

 

    Brynja looked thoughtful for a moment. “True...” She replied then smiled wickedly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you a little... Or a lot,” She added, seeming very pleased with the idea.

 

    Loki’s grin faltered. “You wouldn’t...” He said, though he didn’t sound as confident as before.

 

    “Better start running, _husband...”_

 

****

 

    Thor was on his way to breakfast when he nearly collided with his brother, who proceeded to dive behind him with a rather alarmed expression on his face. He looked at Loki curiously and was about to ask what was the matter, but Brynja rounded the corner just then looking none-too-pleased and he sighed instead with a shake of his head.

 

    “What did he do _this_ time?”

 

    “Not enough,” Loki replied before Brynja could say anything, eyeing her warily.

 

    “Hide behind him all you want, Loki; there’s no escape,” Brynja said, placing her hands on her hips.

 

    Loki scoffed. “I’m not hiding; he just makes a convenient shield.”

 

    “Why am I even helping you?” Thor complained, glaring at his brother.

 

    “Because you still owe me for last month.”

 

    Thor sighed and turned to Brynja. “Bryn; it wouldn’t look very good if you maim your husband a day after the wedding,” He reasoned.

 

    Brynja considered it for a moment. “Fine,” She conceded reluctantly and Loki breathed out in relief. “I’ll just wait a month, then; we do, after all, share a hall,” She added casually and Loki gulped slightly.

 

    “I think, brother,” Thor began, eyeing Brynja a bit warily, “We now know why father never antagonises mother.”

 

    “I’m beginning to believe this was a very bad idea,” Loki replied.

 

    Brynja grinned widely and motioned down the hall in the direction of the royal dining hall. “Shall we, then?” She suggested cheerfully then turned and began to walk.

 

    “Definitely a bad idea,” Loki concluded before following her, Thor close behind him trying to keep from laughing.

 

****

 

    At the table, Brynja nearly took her usual seat across from Loki before remembering that she was expected to sit next to him now with the rest of the royal family. Clearly, that was going to take some getting used to. Her new spot _did_ make it easier to tease Loki under the table with less chance of discovery, though, and she planned to take full advantage of that. As they ate, she subtly used her seidr to poke Loki’s lower ribs, close to his hips, knowing he was a bit ticklish there, and had to suppress the urge to laugh as she saw him begin to struggle to keep a straight face. Lady Astrid rolled her eyes at Frigga, who shook her head with a resigned smile, both having realised what was going on rather quickly; they had long since given up on trying stop such antics from either of their children.

 

    When Brynja reached for her cup, Loki saw an opportunity and took it, waiting until the last possible moment to change the contents into vinegar then sitting back to enjoy the expression that flitted across her face before she forced it back. She looked over at him and smiled as though nothing was wrong then proceeded to subtly stomp on his foot, earning a sharp intake of breath. This went on for the entire meal, with some pauses where they actually _ate,_ neither party wanting to be the one to concede defeat by letting it become known that anything _was_ going on.

 

****

 

    Exactly one month into their marriage Loki was heading towards the stables taking a shortcut through one of the gardens, when he was quite suddenly shoved into a rosebush he was passing by. As he struggled to climb out of it while trying to avoid tangling himself in the thorns further, Brynja undid the invisibility spell that had cloaked her as she nearly fell over laughing.

 

    “Oh, you’re hilarious,” Loki hissed as he finally made it to his feet, wincing slightly at the scrapes and cuts he was now covered in.

 

    “I _did_ warn you,” Brynja managed a little breathlessly.

 

    “How is _this,”_ Loki began indignantly as he gestured at himself, “Fair retaliation to being doused with ice water?”

 

   Brynja walked over to him and slung her arm over his shoulders amiably. “I never said I was going to be fair, Loki,” She said with a grin before leaning over and kissing his cheek.

 

    Loki scoffed then shoved her away, making a show of wiping his cheek thoroughly, which she laughed at, and then turned and headed to their hall to deal with the scrapes and change his clothes. Brynja followed beside him, her hand absently finding its way into his.

 

    As he tied his pants closed, Brynja sat on a nearby desk, some gauze and ointments spread along the surface besides her, with his shirt on her lap. “I had a disagreement with Lady Trine today,” She commented, swinging her legs back and forth slowly.

 

    “Again?” Loki asked amusedly, looking over at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him, “What did she say this time?”

 

    “Well, I won’t bore you with the details,” Brynja replied, earning a quiet snort, “But basically it boils down to her warning me away from Thor, as she has plans for him.”

 

    “Plans? For Thor?” Loki asked dubiously, walking over to Brynja and holding his hand out for his shirt, “I have to either admire her optimism, or pity her stupidity; even Thor has better taste than _that.”_

 

    “Hence our disagreement,” Brynja replied as she handed over the garment, “When I said about as much she had the brilliant idea to accuse me of wanting him for myself.”

 

    Loki laughed as he pulled his shirt on. “And, what; did you settle for marrying me when you couldn’t have him,” He began jokingly, “Or is this all a ploy to make him jealous so he’ll want you more?”

 

    “Still waiting on that information,” Brynja replied with a laugh, “When she figures it out; I’ll let you know.”

 

    “Norns; now that I think about it,” Loki began in mock concern, “If this is what she’s projecting on you; you may have very well saved _me_ from her.”

 

    Brynja burst out laughing, placing a hand on the edge of the desk to keep herself steady. “There, see?” She said through her laughter, “You can’t claim I never do anything for you.”

 

    “I shall count myself the luckiest man in the realm to have a friend such as you,” Loki replied with a very convincing act of sincerity, though the grin that followed somewhat ruined the effect. He sat down on the chair next to her and began to pull his boots on then looked up at her. “Since we’re even now,” He began, earning a smirk, “Join me for a ride?”

 

    Brynja hummed thoughtfully. “It probably would be best to not be in the palace in the immediate future,” She replied vaguely, “Why not?”

 

   Loki arched an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?” He asked.

 

    “Not if you wish to maintain reasonable deniability,” Brynja replied with a grin and he chuckled, shaking his head, as he turned back to his boots.

 

    “We couldn’t be more perfect for each other if we tried,” Loki commented lightly.

 

    “Our children would be the terrors of the realms,” Brynja quipped back.

 

    Loki laughed then stood and offered her his hand to help her down from the desk; once she was on her feet he offered her his arm. “Shall we, wife?” He asked humorously.

 

    Brynja grinned widely and looped her arm around his. “By all means, husband,” She replied.


End file.
